If Only
by Lazy Imagination
Summary: Athos arrives earlier and manages to prevent the things, that would destroy his happiness.


**A/N: **The title in progress.

* * *

**XOXOXOXOX**

Athos has had a dreadful feeling, when he left Anne this morning.

They were married for a little bit over a year, but they still couldn't saturate with one another. It was never enough to enjoy each other to them. Even after all this time young Comte and Comtesse's lives of wedded bliss was just beginning.

And still, when he was leaving his beautiful sleeping wife this morning, as he had to run errands in the Piñon, he couldn't shake the gnarly feeling in his gut. He found a note, written by Anne's neat and lovely handwriting. The note told to meet her for the dinner after the duties. Athos hoped he would return fast enough not to let Anne be alone for too long and to enjoy the dinner with her, and nothing would happen in his absence. But he couldn't be more wrong.

**XOXOXOXOX**

Anne woke up alone and remembered that Athos was going to visit villagers. It wasn't the first time he did so, but somewhat that day she felt something would go wrong. Anyway, she decided to keep her mind clear.

She dressed up and went out from their bedroom. She planned to surprise Athos with a dinner, she wanted it to be ideal as she had some news to announce.

She was already in the room she ordered to serve a table in, setting the bouquet of meadow flowers for the desk.

After the corsage was ready, she buried her face in it, inhaling the sweet scent of blossoms. That's when she heard a clicking noise, as though someone has closed the door. She felt her stomach just dropped two floors. Turning around she saw him, her worst nightmare, Thomas d'Athos. Then bouquet fell out from her shaking hands.

That was the end of her peaceful marriage and life at all.

"Anne, Anne, Anne…" He approached her with terrifying grin, boding nothing well for her. "Or should I call you Charlotte? What? You thought, you will be able to wrap my brother around your dirty finger for ever, didn't you, scum? What? Nothing to say?" Said he, holding the letter, where he read that name from.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand! I love Athos with all my heart." She tried to steady her voice.

"Shut up! We are sick of your lies! Only Athos believes in them. That fool! I told him, that wouldn't end well. And here we are!" That hysteric, hideous voice could only belong to one person, Catherine. Now Anne was indeed in the dead end.

"We know everything you did. Everything."

"If you indeed know what I did, you should be also aware of in what circumstances it was done." Young woman tried to test the waters, what they have had on her, but she knew it was pointless.

"Catherine, leave the room!" Ordered Thomas but seeing how his betrothed's face twisted in confusion, he barked at her. "Now!" The redhead woman hurried to do as was bidden.

Anne felt her whole body trembling with fear.

"You thought, he will love you forever, will always believe in your lies? Poor, poor Athos. How devastated will he be when he knows truth about you?" He was now standing closely to her, trapping her between himself and the table. "I bet he will have to dispense justice, being the dutiful Comte he is. Oh, for sure, he will have to kill you. But he's so weak, will he be able to do this to his lovely wife?" Thomas reached out to Anne and stroked her cheek with his nasty finger. She drew away in disgust and fear, seeing that obscene gleam in his lustful eyes.

"But, you know, he may never know about this letter. You must just do your job, whore." He said, emphasizing on the last word. "And I forget about everything for ever. Otherwise, you'd be thrown out by you beloved husband." He started to untie laces on his britches in corny fumble.

"That is never going to happen! I better die than betray Athos and whore myself out! I know, Athos will believe me. I know, he will!" He started to untie laces on his britches in corny fumble, grinning at her foul-mouthily.

Anne backed away; her thighs dug in the edge of the desk. Thomas strode to her and held both her delicate wrists in his one big sweaty palm, almost breaking her bones. His second hand reaching to push her skirts up. She started to struggle vigorously, trying to bite him.

She heard hooves against the paving stones of the access road to the estate. While Thomas let her hands free to help himself with her clothing, she reached a hand behind her back in attempt to find something to defend herself or to attract attention with. Finally, she grabbed the candlestick and managed to throw it out of the nearby window.

**XOXOXOXOX**

Athos was done with his duties in the village and now was approaching the manor La Fère. Suddenly, he sensed something was wrong, and like on a purpose, he saw a window on the second floor breaking and something landed on the ground. He strained with every fibre of his being.

He spurred horse and jumped off the galloping animal, as it approached the entrance. When he leaped up on the right stage, he saw Catherine leaning against banister of the marble staircase with strange, evil smile on her lips.

"What are you doing here?" He didn't recognize his own voice, as it was more a roar than anything else. The woman startled, her grin immediately turning in frightened astonishment.

"Nothing. Just standing there. What's wrong, Athos? The servants cleaning up that room, so don't go in there. Athos. Athos!" she tried to stop him with that lame excuse, which has set the Comte more on the alert. Catherine was even bordering his way with her body, but he wouldn't listen and pushed her away.

Hearing the door opened, the younger man's head instantly turning to him, he was frightened. Looking from his brother to the woman, Athos saw her tearful eyes and wet face. It was not something he has readied himself for, entering the room. His little brother, he loved so much and cared for, trying to force his own sister-in-law, Athos' lovely, and innocent wife. Anger rushed through his veins and he strode to them, roughly pushing Thomas from Anne. He immediately hugged the shaking woman in front of him. She was frightened.

"He… He tried to force me… Please, Athos, believe me…" Anne sobbed violently.

"Shh, I know, I know… Shh, Anne." He tried in vain to calm down. He carefully backed away from his wife's little frame, steadying her on her trembling legs. He didn't let her hand from his, though.

"Thomas, what is it?" Athos' voice sounded mad.

"Yoyr precious is not, what she claims she is. She is a cheat, a liar and a whore. So, I was just doing what normal people do to whores." Thomas answered, holding out the paper to his older brother to read. He was shocked, but his voice was confident.

The room fell silent, as Athos read the outstretched letter. Catherine moved closer to Thomas, while Anne was still shacking, standing behind her husband, her heart heaving in her chest, as she watched his expressions changed.

"Athos?" She tried to call for him, her voice trembling, her delicate, weak fingers tightening a bit around his palm.

"Shut up!" Catherine's high-pitched voice ringed in the room.

"Change the tone, while speaking to the Comtesse, Catherine!" Athos voice didn't sound mad, merely angry. And he was angry, angry with how the woman talked to his wife. He might didn't know whether the contents of the letter were the truth, but he would ask Anne about it, when she was calmed.

"What? You really such a fool not to see the truth, when it's laid before your eyes? She was ready to fuck me less than half an hour ago in this room!" Thomas was bewildered, his malice leaking through his every word.

"What I saw there was you trying to force her and Catherine standing outside, perfectly knowing, what was happening, and doing nothing to prevent it. That makes me assume, she is on your side." He drew his hand away from her, which scared her even more. Instead, Athos stepped between the incensed couple and his wife, sheltering her from their venomous glares.

Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Anne was still shacking and trying to hold her sobs. He needed to take her in his arms, hold her safely and calm her down, keep her out of everybody's sight. But first he needed to deal with his would-be-rapist brother and his former friend from his childhood. Now he couldn't recognize any of them. He still couldn't believe, how these people, he once loved, could do this to him. But it was undeniably truth.

"Escort and lock them up in different rooms." He ordered two servants, that were standing near the door, ready to do as bidden.

"What?!" The couple cried out at the same time. "You traded people you know all your life in the wench, who turned out to be a whore and a gold digger?!" Thomas roared at him. But Athos was unfazed, his glare hard on his little brother. It was first time in their life he was really angry with him. But he would never forgive what Thomas did

He waited until servants saw off his relatives and only after that he carefully approached his still crying wife. Anne instinctively tried to draw away, but Athos moved closer.

"Shh, Anne, they won't touch you again. Shh…" He hugged her, feeling her ceasing the resistant. He moved them to the nearest settee, but she fell on the floor, not reaching it, dragging her husband along with her.

Anne buried her face in his chest, crying out and choking on her sobs. She couldn't breathe. He clutched his arms around her, trying to calm her. Athos was rocking her like a little child, whispering soothing words to her ear. After her cries have subsided a little, he started to talk.

"Anne, I know, it's hard, but, please, can you explain the letter and what happened here? I won't push you; you tell me whenever you are ready. But please, don't torture me by ignorance." He pleaded, stroking her back in soothing caresses.

"It is half-true. I really changed my names, but I swear, Anne de Breuil is my birth-given one. My parents were the Comte and Comtesse of Gascony. But my mom has been murdered by my aunt, when I was three, and when I was ten, my aunt has managed to murder my papa, her older brother. She destroyed their marriage certificate, declared me an illicit and sent away as a dowerless to a monastery. I've escaped after four years of disgracing and humiliation and worked for one man in Paris. I swear, I was only pickpocketing and thieving, he didn't whore me out, even though he tried. I swear!" She was starting to sob again and choked on the most emotional parts of the death of her family.

"I believe you; I really do! Anne, please calm down!" He was cradling her to him.

"When I turned sixteen, I've run from him. For two years I was moving from place to place, from town to town, until I turned up there. In every town I was helping people, doing some household work and chores for the shelter. They were so kind! And here I lived in the house of my childhood friend's mother, until I accidentally met you. It was never my intention to fool you. I love you with all my heart! I swear!" She whispered the rest of her story fervently against his chest.

"Anne, I told you, I believe you. But if you don't stop crying, I will be cross with you!" He said in strict, yet soft tone, smiling against her hair, kissing her on top of the head. "And what happened in this room? I guess, my brother and Catherine learnt about it, fabricated some parts, according to the letter, and come to you to what? Demand payment? You lie with him and he won't tell me about you?" Anne just nodded, unable to say a word. She was calming down, but still, couldn't hold a sob.

"Fine, I understood. But now, calm! I won't bring that theme up again, I promise! I'll send them to the estate Le Bragelone, the place given to my father in honour of his good serving. But it was neglected for really long time. So, they won't harm you, as they will be busy renovating the mansion and dealing with all the problems with its running." He chuckled at the imagination of Thomas and Catherine, who have never worked for the living before, starting to. It was not a severe enough punishment for what they did, but still he needed to keep them from his Anne as far as possible.

"I love you!" she said in semi-steady voice, looking him straight in to his eyes.

"I love you, too, my Love!" He smiled down at her. "But let's move to the bedroom, you need to rest." With those words he rose up and picked her up in bridal style, carrying her out of that damned room.

**XOXOXOXOX**

She has changed her torn clothes and cleaned herself up. And now they were in their bed, with his little wife laying halfway on top of him, her cheek against his heart, his nose buried in her hair, his hand stroking her back and tangling fingers in her curls. He was constantly whispering sweet things to her.

"We will be happy there, as we have been for the past months. And later there will be our little children running around the house, laughing and having fun. Your little copies, with your beautiful emerald eyes, little, neat nose, and dark curls." He planted a soft kiss on top of her head.

That's when Athos was cut off from his reverie by Anne's unexpected voice. He thought, she was asleep for hours now.

"I think that will happen sooner than you can imagine. But I hope they will have your ocean blue eyes I love so much." She said softly, but her voice was still raw from both crying and sleep. Athos shot up instantly, blinking at her several times. Her hand mover to rest against her stomach.

"I was planning to tell you after the dinner." She smiled at his reaction sheepishly. He was looking from her face to her flat belly and back to her face.

"Wha… What? Are you serious? God! Is it really happening?" A grin spreading wide on his face. She chuckled at him, nodding to his questions. But suddenly Athos pulled her closer, kissing her tenderly, yet passionately, until they both were breathless. After he's drawn away, he bent to her tummy, kissing it through her bodice.

"Mommy and I already love you! I love you! We can's wait to see you! You will be spoiled and loved and cared for! You will be the happiest child ever! We will always be with you and will always defend you!" He whispered against her stomach and then tilted his head up to look her in to her beautiful but now tearful eyes. It was the tears of happiness, so he wasn't concerned too much. "You made me the happiest man alive! I love you!"

"And I am the happiest woman!" She was now crying. He wiped the hot streams away, drawing her face closer and kissing her once again.

His life could never be better. Yes, he had to deal with his brother, but for now, he let himself forget about that treachery and be just a happy married man.

He was happy and he would not let anything to take his happiness away. They will overcome every difficulty together. He, his beautiful wife and his upcoming child. Their little, expanding family will always be happy, healthy and loved.


End file.
